by Susan Pease
‘Okay Jo, visualise or imagine yourself writing a fabulous essay. You love to write and you also love it when people recognise how good you are. How do you feel when everything is going your way, you feel fantastic don’t you? Love who you are and what you do and recognise that doing this type of work makes you feel good. If you surround yourself with positive thoughts, the energy will attract positive results. You can even heal yourself of disease by focusing on the sickness and deciding it will not get the better of you. In fact, with your mind, you can heal your body. Eiki is right; all you have to do is make affirmations and believe.’
‘What on earth are they? I mean, it all sounds a bit witchy and crazy don’t you think? Eiki thinks our brain connects us all, personally I think she’s lost the plot.’
Aunt Pepper roared with laughter and the tears poured down her cheeks.
‘I must admit it’s an interesting way of describing the law of attraction. I’ve never heard it put like that before. Trust Eiki to put it in such simple Slurp-it-Downs language. You should write all that she says down, it would make for good reading. We’re all made up of energy and our thoughts travel and entwine with each other. Be kind to yourself and good things will come your way, you will attract happy results. In other words, you must make your own reality and take personal responsibility for what happens in your life. Once you have mastered this, everything will fall into place.
‘Affirmations are things you choose to say each day that will change the energy around you. Say them enough and magical results will surround you. Also be careful for what you ask for, the universe can only go on what you say. Be confident in what you want to do and achieve in your life. It’s all up to you; don’t blame others when things don’t go the way you want. Be happy and attract good things to you, be grumpy and grumpy things will happen around you.’
‘Thank goodness all the Slurp-it-Downs children are having that lesson because they are the grumpiest on the planet,’ laughed Jo happily.
‘The most important lesson is to love yourself. If you cannot love yourself, how do you expect others to love you?’
Eiki arrived and joined in the conversation.
‘Yes, I am unique and it’s about time you accepted that I am also brilliant, pretty, and smart and altogether a fantastic Slurp-it-Downs. So Jo, that is a Slurp-it-Downs fact,’ announced a cheeky Eiki.
Everybody laughed; it was fun to kid around and so interesting to hear a new point of view on connecting with the energy that surrounds us all.
‘Well, I think it’s time to get back to work because everybody will be returning soon and we still have heaps of cleaning up to do,’ suggested Aunt Pepper.
‘Eiki is not cleaning up any mess because I don’t want to, so there.’
‘You have to clean up Eiki. We can’t leave all this mess about. Anyway, just think about the lesson we just had. If you are a grumpy bum them grumpy stuff will come and annoy you. Don’t you want to feel good that you helped out? Everybody will think you’re a good Slurp-it-Downs and a hard worker.’
‘Do you think so Jo? That would mean I can maybe have a second piece of cake tonight after dinner? Everybody would say I could because I am brilliant! Good idea, let’s clean it all up as quick as we can. Don’t want people to see me not working, so hurry up you smelly girl,’ announced Eiki.
Aunt Pepper shook her head; Eiki was so funny and good at turning every situation into a positive, especially when it would benefit the little Slurp-it-Downs.
‘That’s positive thinking for you,’ said Aunt Pepper smiling.
With that, they all started cleaning up the bush hospital with Eiki quietly dreaming of the second huge piece of cake she might get.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jo’s Slurp-It-Downs Awakening
The late afternoon sun hung very low in the sky, the night had a magical feel about it. Waldo arrived back after a hard day’s work and settled down to play his flute. The music was hauntingly beautiful and set the scene for a secret to unfold. They sat around the campfire, ate, drank and enjoyed each other’s company. The flames gave the creatures an eerie glow; something unusual was about to happen.
Aunt Pepper quietly asked Jo to close her eyes; she warned her that she might feel confused and maybe a little frightened. Darkness shrouded the village and all the creatures fell silent. Jo was nervous; the yearning to know also made her feel queasy. All of a sudden, she was given directions to open her eyes. She opened one eye at first and focused on Aunt Pepper, scared that what she wanted to know may turn her life upside down. Jo opened her second eye slowly, staring in disbelief; she slumped down onto a log. There in front of her were once again many of the townspeople. What on earth was going on, it was as if her eyes were playing tricks on her, yet again.
‘Say hello to the Gulp-a-Waters and the Slurp-it-Downs,’ announced Aunt Pepper proudly.
Jo definitely felt sick now, she remembered the last time she had had the same hallucination. How could this be, all the creatures had turned into humans? Taking a deep breath, she decided to go with the flow; after all, things had been bizarre for a very long time. Waldo stood up and within minutes his form changed into a Gulp-a-Waters. He smiled at Jo and held his hand out to her.
‘We are all children of the universe and it doesn’t matter what we look like or what we believe in, we should accept each other and have one goal in life. That goal is to live in peace and keep our world safe and clean for all the souls that will be born in the future. I am happy to welcome you into our village. I know that you already accept us and that you have a very good friend in Eiki. I have also noticed that you have a tendency to be just like a Slurp-it-Downs.’
Slurp-it-Downs, no I’m not. I am not as cranky as Eiki surely, thought Jo.
Eiki heard her thoughts and stamped her feet and glared at her friend. Waldo continued, ignoring the little Slurp-it-Downs.
‘Your father was a good man, and he also had a good Slurp-it-Downs nature, pity you didn’t get to know him. He didn’t believe in war but unfortunately the government called him up and so he had no choice and went to serve his country. His death was a great loss to our community. His healing powers were very powerful and he was well loved by everyone.’
Jo stared in shock, her father knew all about these creatures. She wasn’t asleep or at least she didn’t think so, it all seemed like a weird dream with no end. Aunt Pepper started to talk to Jo, she had been listening to Waldo and decided it was time to step in with an explanation.
‘Your mother is extremely secretive about who she is. She helped your father organise rallies to promote peace in the world. In fact, she was a bigger hippy than I was, boy, she could play the guitar and sing up a storm with all the protest songs. We disagree on lots of things and I’m sorry she kept everything from you. She has no idea that you know the secret of Corkuparipple Creek so I think it wise not to tell her that you know. Your mother didn’t want to burden you with it all until you were much older. She wanted to give you an ordinary type of life, and then I showed up and stirred the pot. Your poor mother went into meltdown, and didn’t know what to do. I guess I have that sort of effect on people.’
‘Do you mean my mum also knows about the Slurp-it-Downs and the Gulp-a-Waters? Now I think I’m hearing wrong, not my ordinary sort-of-boring mother? She never gave me any idea that she knows anything but housekeeping. Am I as cranky as a Slurp-it-Downs, Waldo says that I am Slurp-it-Downs-like? I guess Geoffrey makes me mad, oh heck, he can see the creatures too.’
‘Yes, that’s why he can see Eiki but he’s not ready to be told the secret yet, too young and a bit of a scallywag.’
‘Are you creature-like too and what about my friends? Do they have parents who are creatures, or are they just humans who know the secret? Are any of my school friends creatures in disguise?’
‘Goodness me Jo, slow down or you’ll burst at the seams. My nature is very different to you; I am a Gulp-a-Waters in nature. That’s why I’m always blowing my nose, too much snot,
and all that sort of thing. In time, you’ll work out who is a creature and who is not. It doesn’t really matter; we’re all the same anyhow.’
Jo went up to Waldo, or as the creatures called him, Tundra, and gave him a big hug.
‘Well, that went well I think,’ said Aunt Pepper.
She knew Jo’s adventures were just about to start.
KIDS DON’T LIKE TO BE LECTURED
Jo’s aunt was a colourful, outrageous person, not the typical old aunt everybody expected to have. In fact, she was more like an eccentric movie star. Her manner was loud, her clothing a little odd and she definitely had a big personality. That didn’t stop her from having many admirers. Pepper loved to let everybody know just how she felt about stuff, all kinds of stuff. She started to shuffle from foot to foot; obviously preparing to make a grand speech on how it all was. Everybody gathered round to listen. Jo knew the lecture she was about to hear was really directed at her.
‘The Australian bush holds many, many secrets. People can turn into different things when they are faced with unusual circumstances. A passive man can turn into a soldier, just like your father Jo. A mother turns into a healer when you are sick, and a provider when unfortunate events turn her life into disarray. A brother, however annoying, may turn into a good friend when the chips are down.’
Jo sat there in a daze; her aunt had totally bowled her over. Jo pondered on the news that her mother was also passionate about stopping wars. She always thought that her mother had no understanding about the world’s troubles. It was strange that Aunt Pepper had mentioned that Jo’s mother had been a protesting hippy when she was young.
Why had she changed and become so boring and stodgy? Dorothy had given Jo the impression that she was straight-laced, in actual fact, a normal everyday housewife. Nevertheless, she had protested about stopping the war but not saving the environment but then in those days, maybe few people actually thought of the environment. Only her crazy Aunt Pepper would make a fuss and her band of environmental followers. Jo had tried to teach her mum how to separate the rubbish for recycling. Believe me that was nearly an impossible task. Geoffrey was getting better at it and that was saying something. Come to think of it, Bandaid was helping the environment by burying his bone and forgetting where he put it! Eventually it broke down and went back into the earth.
The school had given the students a week to collect recyclable stuff to raise money. It was a total disaster on all accounts. To make matters worse, they had been given the task to make a worm compost garden at home. It wasn’t long before Jo grasped that the only worms her mum knew about were the ones she was given medicine to get rid of. Jo began to get tetchy; kids don’t like being lectured and her aunt was going off her head. It was okay to listen for a short while but it had been a long, stressful day. Aunt Pepper was on her beloved soapbox and looked like she was having a wonderful time. Her arms were going up and down and all the bells on her ankle bracelet jingled like Father Christmas’s sleigh. Nothing would shut her up and she rattled on as if possessed. Eiki tugged at Jo’s top trying to get her attention.
‘Need to tell you something Jo, think you need to hear it now.’
‘Sshh, what do you want? We’re supposed to be quiet, although I do want to ask you something. Eiki, Aunt Pepper is going off her head; she is really passionate about saving the planet. Is it really in such a big mess?’
‘Not yet, I’m not sure, I think it could be so your aunt is trying to educate all the young Slurp-it-Downs and Gulp-a-Waters, also the human beings so that we all don’t end up living in a world that’s like a huge garbage tip. Let’s face it, the humans are polluting the waters and destroying all the rainforests. Not to mention overfishing in the oceans. She just wants everybody to think of the future. Unfortunately her passion can sometimes cause panic. Let me tell you a joke to lighten up the day.’
‘We’re not supposed to talk’, whispered Jo.
‘Okay, we’ve been talking and nobody has heard us over your aunt, she really talks loud. I will tell you very quietly so nobody will hear. What do you get if you cross a duck with a rooster?’
‘What kind of duck is it, a big rooster or a small one?’ asked Jo.
‘Oh for Slurp-it-Down’s sake, smelly girls have to make a complicated situation out of a simple joke. A normal white duck and a big noisy rooster with colourful feathers and an attitude to match,’ said Eiki petulantly.
‘I don’t know and stop being a Slurp-it-Downs cranky pants. I just wanted to paint the picture, not get into an argument.’
‘I’m not fighting with you Jo. I only want to make you feel better with a joke! Do you want to know smelly girl?’
‘Don’t call me a smelly girl, you cranky Slurp-it-Downs. I’m getting fed up with it all. Today seems too much for me to handle and now you are driving me nuts. Are you going to tell me the answer or do I have to wait till I am old and grey?’
‘The answer is, a bird that wakes you up at the quack of dawn!’
‘Oh boy, Eiki you are a funny little thing. Annoying, frustrating but funny nevertheless,’ said Jo giggling.
‘I can always rely on you to brighten even the dullest of days.’
Aunt Pepper, never one to turn her back on a captive audience, continued with her speech.
‘And in addition, a crabby old bag can turn into an eccentric aunt who has a deep passion for saving the environment. Townspeople can become grumpy and disagreeable Slurp-it-Downs and Gulp-a-Waters when they go into survival mode to save the planet. Some of the townspeople have been privileged to discover the secret of Corkuparipple Creek. They have been working alongside all the creatures for a long time; heaps of generations in fact. We also have creatures living amongst the townspeople keeping an eye on things.’
Then she turned to Jo and said, ‘Remember when you were in the hospital, people seemed to turn into creatures. That’s because they are creatures of the bush living and helping in the town. Even though you never told anybody about seeing them when you were sick, I knew it probably would happen. We have so many creatures in the hospital helping, because that’s what we are good at. We are a mix of creatures and humans; our aim should be about supporting the environment, not destroying it. And that is our goal in life.’
At last Aunt Pepper calmed down and her red face began to return to its normal colour.
Jo took a deep breath and thought, thank goodness that’s all over. Unfortunately she started AGAIN. Jo noticed even the Slurp-it-Downs and Gulp-a-Waters children were starting to get restless. Nobody dared move, wriggle or take his or her eyes off Aunt Pepper. Eiki started chomping at her fingernails and scratching her behind which only made Aunt Pepper raise her voice and get louder and louder.
‘Eiki, knock it off, she’ll keep on going if you don’t pay attention, then we’ll be here for days.’
‘Don’t care, got an itchy bum and that’s a Slurp-it-Downs fact.’
‘It’s not polite to scratch, so stop it and pay attention.’
‘Don’t want to, heard it all before. Rather tell a joke. Look over there they are not staying to listen to Pepi, they are smart and had enough. Maybe we should follow them.’ Jo giggled when she saw small Slurp-it-Downs and Gulp-a-Waters children sneaking away through a hole in a huge gum tree.
‘Well I think we should stay, after all, she is my aunt. We would definitely be missed; they can get away with it. How about that joke you want to tell, maybe it will lighten the mood.’
‘Knock, knock.’
‘Okay, who’s there?’
‘Stopwatch.’
‘Stopwatch who?’
‘Stopwatch you’re doing and open this door. It’s because I want to get out of here now. Your aunt is driving me Slurp-it-Downs crazy and my tummy is hungry. And that is a Slurp-it-Downs fact!’
Jo burst out laughing and everybody turned to stare at the girl; shocked at her behaviour. This made Aunt Pepper more determined to put her point across to her niece.
‘You turn into an amazing
author when you let your imagination soar. Jo, as you grow older maybe you could write and publish a book, instructing how everybody could save the planet.’
With that last comment Aunt Pepper quietened down. Waldo stood up and started clapping. Then all the creatures minus the scallywags that had escaped stood up and cheered. It was all out in the open, the secret of Corkuparipple Creek. Jo knew now that there were people who worked with the creatures to try and save the environment from being spoiled. And there were creatures that had the power to turn into human form who then worked alongside the humans trying to create a better world. Sounds sort of simple, unfortunately the world was in a mess.
The lecture ended and Eiki raced to the feast table to munch on anything she could get her hands on. Jo had a headache bigger than she had ever experienced before. The good news was that her aunt had stopped talking. The bad news was that Eiki came across with heaps of food, farting as she went. Jo looked at her in horror and had to hold her nose.
‘Eiki that’s disgusting, stop it you’re just like Bandaid!’
Yes, kids definitely do not like to be lectured.
WHAT THE ... !
All of a sudden, everything went out of focus, Jo felt shivery inside. A cold wind blew through the trees and the sound of the trickling water from the Corkuparipple Creek sent a chill through her body. Waking from her meditative state and rubbing her neck from lying on a rock pillow, she pondered on what was swimming around in her head.
‘Thank goodness for that, I must have been having a crazy dream. All I can remember is humans changing into animals or was that animals that looked like humans. Then there was a crazy over-thetop aunt with an attitude problem, and a need to save the planet. Not to mention snot, what was that all about?’
She rambled on to herself then looked at her watch and the colour drained from her face.
‘Oh no, I’ll be late for school.’
